dead duck
noun informal
A person or thing that is defunct or has no chance of success: travel promotions are a dead duck as far as marketing directors are concerned...
- However, in 1977, when a number of newspapers had questioned whether his team were dead ducks after a barren start to the season, they opted to confront criticism head-on.
- The Tories may be dead ducks election-wise but they can still throw a good fundraiser, as they showed last Thursday night in Glasgow when they banked #40,000.
- If they are going to charge £4.20 to go from Chandler's Ford to Southampton this service could be a dead duck.
Origin
From the old saying ‘never waste powder on a dead duck’.
- bushwhack
- bushwhacked
- bushwhacker
- bushy
- busily
- business
- business administration
- business angel
- business as usual
- business card
- business case
- business casual
- business class
- business correspondent
- business-critical
- business cycle
- business day
- business district
- business doctor
- business double
- business edge
- business empire
- business end
- business English
- businessese